Neal Shipley Scores TGLs First Hole-in-One in Debut
Neal Shipley etched his name into TGL history on Monday night by recording the league's first hole-in-one during his debut match for The Bay Golf Club at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The 25-year-old golfer aced the 110-yard par-3 fifth hole, known as Set In Stone, with a precise wedge shot that carried to the back of the green and spun into the cup, helping his team secure a 11-5 victory over the Los Angeles Golf Club in Week 7 action.
Playing as an alternate in the team-based, indoor league's triples alternate-shot format, Shipley stepped up after The Bay had built an early 3-0 lead. His shot, measured at 112.8 yards, landed long before the backspin and the green's slope guided the ball into the hole. The moment unfolded under the high-tech simulated environment of TGL, where players compete on a massive screen displaying virtual courses. Teammate Luke Clanton, also making his TGL debut, had jokingly urged Shipley to make the ace moments earlier, saying on a hot mic, "Hey, it's you. Give me a hole-in-one here. Please." When the ball dropped, Shipley threw his club in the air, jumped repeatedly, and was mobbed by Clanton and Min Woo Lee amid cheers from the crowd.